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Labour Standards

  • Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
  • Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
  • Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
  • Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

The four labour principles of the Global Compact are taken from the ILO's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The Declaration calls upon all ILO Member States to apply the principles in line with the original intent of the core Conventions on which it is based.

A universal consensus now exists that all countries, regardless of level of economic development, cultural values, or ratifications of the relevant ILO Conventions, have an obligation to respect, promote, and realize these fundamental principles and rights. The aim of the ILO is to harness the support of the business community for these principles through the Global Compact.

The labour principles deal with fundamental principles in the workplace and the challenge for business is to take these universally accepted values and apply them at the company level.